DOCSLIB.ORG

Scienze Dell'antichità 23.3 (2017), Pp

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Scienze Dell'antichità 23.3 (2017), Pp in: Scienze dell'Antichità 23.3 (2017), pp. 3-30, tav. I a p. 633 LORENZO NIGRO BEHEADED ANCESTORS. OF SKULLS AND STATUES IN PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC JERICHO INTRODUCTION One of the most striking features of prehistoric Jericho (Tell es-Sultan, Palestine) are 45 hu- man skulls retrieved in Pre-Pottery1 Neolithic layers by Kathleen M. Kenyon during the second British Expedition at the site, between 1952 and 19582. Pre-Pottery Neolithic human remains had already been discovered by John Garstang3 during the first British Expedition of 1930-364. Garstang also retrieved two caches of plaster statues, which, with a bust found by Kenyon in the same area5, represent the last development of the same process of images making started with skulls separated burials. Both phenomena can be fruitfully set into the long duration panorama of the transition from foraging to farming in Southern Levant6. Since their discovery, the attention of scholars and public was focused on the most striking plastered skulls/crania (twelve specimens + two only painted) found in Middle PPNB layers, al- though the practice of skulls separation started earlier7, and Kenyon had also found 26 separated skulls/crania in previous PPNA and Early PPNB strata (§ 2.)8. Jericho skulls (§ 3.) still represent almost half of all known plain and modeled skulls found in the Levant (Fig. 1)9. Hereby, a synthesis of finds is presented showing the development of this custom between PPNA and PPNB at Jericho10, and focusing on the finding contexts of these separated skulls/cra- 1 At Jericho, I would prefer to label this period “Aceramic” as it does not represent a premise of the following “Pottery Neolithic”, which, from many respects, marks a regression in cultural and technological achievements, except for the introduction of pottery. The two periods are, moreover, separated by a hiatus in several areas of the site, and also flint industry is markedly different. “Aceramic” would also better accomplish the goal of demising an evolutionary interpretation of Levantine prehistory. 2 KENYON 1981. 3 Garstang found two curious burials: one with twisted neck and body held down, and one with separated skulls (by accident, due to an earthquake), as well as a child burial (GARSTANG - GARSTANG 1948, pp. 60-61, pl. IX) when the dis- tinguished archaeologist of the University of Liverpool for the first time identified a prominent Neolithic stratification underneath almost 5 m of Early Bronze Age layers in his North-East Trench. Garstang reached Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Sultan Ic of the Italian-Palestinian Expedition periodization), which he labeled “Early Neolithic” and attributed levels XVII-X, and “Late Neolithic”, levels IX-VIII, characterized by the appearance of pottery (SALA 2006, pp. 271-275). 4 One more skull was excavated by the joint Italian-Palestinian Expedition of Sapienza University of Rome and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities - Dept. of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (1997-2017). It was found during the fifth seasons at Tell es-Sultan in 2009 (NIGRO 2009, pp. 34-35). 5 KENYON 1981, p. 290, pl. 72 (nowadays in the National Archaeological Museum on the Amman Citadel). 6 BENZ 2010, pp. 249-251. 7 SCHULTING 2015, p. 22; BOCQUENTIN et al. 2016, pp. 39-41. 8 Some of these separated and buried plain skulls were deemed demonstrating the performance of human sacrifices (KENYON 1981, p. 50). 9 One thus would expect that overall synthesis across the ancient Near East reflected such quantitative disparity (CROUCHER 2012, passim). 10 A recent synthesis by Marion Benz (BENZ 2010) has tried to translate Kenyon’s data (and datings) into an up- dated periodization, with however several aporias between stratigraphy and absolute datings. The Italian-Palestinian 23.3, 2017 Tavole a colori 633 Tav. I – Map of Tell es-Sultan with excavated areas and the finding spot of plain skulls, plastered skulls and statues. 4 L. Nigro Sc. Ant. Fig. 1 – Map of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Southern Levant with sites where plain skulls, plastered skulls and plaster statues were found. nia in order to gain some insight into their “use” and possibly ideological meaning (Tav. I). Finally, they are compared with the plaster statues (§ 4.) which from many respect seem the last develop- ments of the custom of modeling with plaster human-like images arisen in Pre-Pottery Neolithic (10,500-6000 BC). Expedition has re-examined the stratigraphy in Squares DI-II, FI, M, EI, EIII and sampled for new radiocarbon datings. This work has confirmed the following stratigraphic re-calibrated periodization/chronology: Epipaleolithic/Mesolithic/ Natufian: 10,500-9000 BC; PPNA: 9000-8000; PPNB: 8000-6000 BC (further subdivisions: Early PPNB 8000-7400 BC; Middle PPNB: 7400-6500 BC; Late PPNB, also called PPNC: 6500-6100 BC); PNA: 6100/5800-5200; PNB: 5200-4800 BC. An occupation hiatus possibly occurred at the end of Pre-Pottery Neolithic (c. 6100-5800 BC), as well as another at the end of Pottery Neolithic (c. 4800-4400 BC). 23.3, 2017 Beheaded Ancestors 5 1 . PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC AT JERICHO, AN EPITOME Pre-Pottery Neolithic Jericho was a strongly innovative community, which introduced agriculture and ani- mal breeding after plants and animals domestication, developed monumen- tal and modular architecture11 (with the invention of the mud-brick and of fine lime plaster), as well as imple- mented pyrotechnology and a distin- guished flint industry12, transforming life-style and environment13, with an amazing growth during more than four millennia (10,500-6000 BC)14. It overcame several crisis, even bringing about occupational hiatuses, demon- strating an essential skill for resilience. Its achievements are epitomized by the Round Tower (Fig. 2) and the at- tached superimposed Town Walls Fig. 2 – The Round Tower of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (10,500-8000 excavated by Kenyon, as well as by BC) at Tell es-Sultan. many other monuments and finds. Immaterial accomplishments of this community are equally or even more important. The agricul- turalists seem to have inaugurated a social organization based upon a locally-adapted subsistence system integrating cultivation, animal taming and hunting, as well as a set of ideological tools: communitarian rites, differentiated burial customs, and individuals vs. community deals15. Almost a century of archaeology has illustrated the flourishing PPN “town” at wide extent thanks to the work of three successive archaeological expeditions from 1930 to 2017, so that Jeri- cho can be hold as key-site for this period in Southern Levant. 1.1. Jericho and the ideological palimpsest of Pre-Pottery Neolithic. Although the ideological palimpsest of the Near East during the Neolithic has been the field of exercise for many smart minds16, it seems still unveiled, especially as regards the relationships between humans and nature, life and death, i.e. the essence and role of religion17. The peculiari- ties of the archaeological evidence – even though wealthy –, and the multiplication of approaches and models, whether allow to carry ahead the investigation along a multiplicity of research paths, 11 BEN-SHLOMO - GARFINKEL 2009, pp. 191-192, tab. 1. 12 CROWFOOT PAYNE 1983, pp. 639-706. 13 NAVEH 2003; SIMMONS 2007; NIGRO et al. 2011, pp. 577-578; NIGRO 2013, p. 3. 14 Two major occupational hiatuses (or periods with reduced building activities) have been identified at the end of PPNA and of PPNB, while a flourish seems to characterized central PPNA (Stages V-VIII in Trench I), and mature PPNB (Stages XIII-XVII in Trench I, Squares DI-II, FI). 15 KUIJT 2001, p. 86; BENZ 2010, p. 251, pp. 269-270; ROLLEFSON 1983, p. 30; ROLLEFSON 2004. 16 Many skilled scholars have thoroughly analysed the ideological foundations of the Neolithic society, enlighten- ing it with their interpretations focusing on the “agricultural revolution” and its economic, social, and even cognitive implications (CAUVIN 2000; HODDER 2001). 17 e.g. SEALE 1998; CROUCHER 2012. 6 L. Nigro Sc. Ant. result basically in a series of warnings about what we surely cannot state about it18. Moreover, new discoveries, such as Khraysan, Wadi Feinan 16, and Qasr Meshash in Jordan or Göbleki Tepe in Anatolia19, continue to widen the spectrum of ideologically influenced behaviors during PPN. The 45 skulls from PPN Jericho epitomize this situation. Simplistically interpreted as the relics of a somewhat uncontextualized “cult of ancestors” just after their discovery20, they have been pushed back to mere detached skulls at the beginning of the last decade21. What seemed the most relevant questions (to whom did the skulls belong? What was the meaning of modeling and which was the use of plastered skulls?) were thoroughly debated22, and sometimes overcome or subsumed in wider interpretive scenarios23. However, the outcome of such deeper study is a dras- tic increase of uncertainties, which can surely be regarded as a major step up of science, but leaves a bit dissatisfied. I would try to focus again on Jericho, and to put forward a new synthesis – hoping that it also could be of some utility. A renewed and contextual examination of the Jericho skulls, in connection with the often neglected statues may produce some hints at their use and significance24. 1.2. Materials, techniques and shapes: from skulls to statues. Jericho’s skulls are framed within a long-lasting and quite variegated phenomenon, that of skulls separation, manipulation, possible ostentation and re-burying, which is spread all over the Near East towards the end of Epipaleolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic25, and is accompanied by the emergence of plaster statuary in the very last stage of its development in Late PPNB, limitedly to Southern Levant. At Jericho, skulls separation started in PPNA26, when ordinary burials un- der the floors were dug-back to resume skulls or crania (without the mandible) in order to “use” them after manipulation (de-fleshing, smoothing, plastering, painting with collagen or blood), possibly to display or to worship (?), and then rebury them (individually or, more frequently, in groups).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Constructing God's Community: Umayyad Religious Monumentation
    Constructing God’s Community: Umayyad Religious Monumentation in Bilad al-Sham, 640-743 CE Nissim Lebovits Senior Honors Thesis in the Department of History Vanderbilt University 20 April 2020 Contents Maps 2 Note on Conventions 6 Acknowledgements 8 Chronology 9 Glossary 10 Introduction 12 Chapter One 21 Chapter Two 45 Chapter Three 74 Chapter Four 92 ​ Conclusion 116 Figures 121 Works Cited 191 1 Maps Map 1: Bilad al-Sham, ca. 9th Century CE. “Map of Islamic Syria and its Provinces”, last modified 27 December 2013, accessed April 19, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilad_al-Sham#/media/File:Syria_in_the_9th_century.svg. ​ ​ 2 Map 2: Umayyad Bilad al-Sham, early 8th century CE. Khaled Yahya Blankinship, The End of the ​ Jihad State: The Reign of Hisham Ibn ʿAbd al-Malik and the Collapse of the Umayyads (Albany: ​ State University of New York Press, 1994), 240. 3 Map 3: The approximate borders of the eastern portion of the Umayyad caliphate, ca. 724 CE. Blankinship, The End of the Jihad State, 238. ​ 4 Map 4: Ghassanid buildings and inscriptions in Bilad al-Sham prior to the Muslim conquest. Heinz Gaube, “The Syrian desert castles: some economic and political perspectives on their genesis,” trans. Goldbloom, in The ​ Articulation of Early Islamic State Structures, ed. Fred Donner (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2012) ​ 352. 5 Note on Conventions Because this thesis addresses itself to a non-specialist audience, certain accommodations have been made. Dates are based on the Julian, rather than Islamic, calendar. All dates referenced are in the Common Era (CE) unless otherwise specified. Transliteration follows the system of the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES), including the recommended ​ ​ ​ ​ exceptions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social and Symbolic Role of Early Pottery in the Near East
    THE SOCIAL AND SYMBOLIC ROLE OF EARLY POTTERY IN THE NEAR EAST A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY BURCU YILDIRIM IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SETTLEMENT ARCHAEOLOGY JULY 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. D. Burcu Erciyas Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman Supervisor Examining Committee Members (first name belongs to the chairperson of the jury and the second name belongs to supervisor) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marie H. Gates (Bilkent Uni., ARK) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman (METU, SA) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Neyir K. Bostancı (Hacettepe Uni., ARK) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Serin (METU, SA) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yiğit H. Erbil (Hacettepe Uni., ARK) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Burcu Yıldırım Signature : iii ABSTRACT THE SOCIAL AND SYMBOLIC ROLE OF EARLY POTTERY IN THE NEAR EAST Yıldırım, Burcu Ms., Department of Settlement Archaeology Supervisor: Assoc.
    [Show full text]
  • Palaces of the Early Islamic Caliphates
    PART 2 PALACES OF THE EARLY ISLAMIC CALIPHATES (SEVENTH-TENTH CENTURIES) UMAYYAD PALACES RECONSIDERED BY OLEG GRABAR 5 THE LATEST, MOST COMPLETE, AND MOST AUTHORITATIVE Islamic foundations or ornamental inscriptions. survey of early Islamic architecture-Allan's re- For Qusayr Amra, as we shall see shortly, there is working of Creswell's standard history-contains a valid presumption for an Umayyad dynastic seventeen partly documented buildings datable patronage on the basis of the paintings decorat- between 690 and 750, the main decades of Umay- ing the monument. As to Mshatta, it is primarily yad rule, and fitting into the general category of its inordinate size and its peculiar decoration that palaces. It is a loose category including nearly all make it reasonable to assume that only princes, foundations with living accommodations for and in all likelihood ruling princes, had access to which a reasonable assumption can be made of the funds and personnel necessary for its plan- sponsorship or use by the state (a daral-imara for ning and construction, and for a completion instance), by the ruling dynasty, or by members of which never took place.6 the Arabian aristocracy associated with the Umay- In short, we have no direct knowledge of these yads.1 buildings as palaces built for ruling Umayyad Out of these seventeen buildings, five-al-Mu- princes, and I shall return in my conclusion to the waqqar, Rusafa, Qastal, Qasr al-Tuba, and Tulul hypotheses which can be derived from this appar- al-Sha'iba-are too poorly known or too poorly ent absence of clearly cut, written or archaeolog- preserved to allow for significant conclusions,2 ical, external labels.
    [Show full text]
  • History and Culture.Indd
    History & Culture Table of Contents Map of Jordan 1 L.Tiberius Umm Qays Welcome 2 Irbid Jaber Amman 4 Pella Hemmeh Ramtha er As-Salt HISTORY & CULTURE12 ITINERARIES Ajlun Mafraq Madaba 14 dan Riv Jerash Deir 'Alla Umm al-Jimal 1 Day Tour Options: Jor Umm Ar-Rasas1. Jerash, Ajlun 16 ey Salt Qasr Al Hallabat Mount Nebo2. Amman (City Tour) 17 all Zarqa Marka 3. Madaba, Mount Nebo, Bethany Beyond the Jordan V dan Jordan Valley & The Dead Sea 18 Jor Amman Iraq al-Amir Qusayr Amra Azraq Karak 20 Bethany Beyond The Jordan Mt. Nebo Qasr Al Mushatta 3 Day Itinerary: Dead Sea Spas Queen Alia Qasr Al Kharrana Petra 22 Madaba International Day 1. Amman, Jerash, Madaba and Dead Sea - Overnight in Ammana Airport e Hammamat Ma’in Aqaba Day 2. Petra - Overnight in26 Little Petra S d Dhiban a Umm Ar-Rasas Jerash Day 3. Karak, Madaba and30 Mount Nebo - Overnight in Ammane D Ajlun 36 5 Day Itinerary: Umm Al-Jimal 38 Qatraneh Day 1. Amman, Jerash, Ajlun - Overnight in Amman Karak Pella 39 Mu'ta Day 2. Madaba, Mount Nebo, Karak - Overnight at PetraAl Mazar aj-Janubi Umm QaysDay 3. Petra - Overnight at40 Petra Shawbak Day 4. Wadi Rum - Overnight42 Dead Sea Tafileh Day 5. Bethany Beyond The Jordan MAP LEGEND Desert Umayyad Castles 44 History & Culture Itineraries 49 Historical Site Shawbak Highway Castle Desert Wadi Musa Petra Religious Site Ma'an Airport Ras an-Naqab Road For further information please contact: Highway Jordan Tourism Board: Tel: +962 6 5678444. It is open daily (08:00- Railway 16:00) except Fridays.
    [Show full text]
  • Neolithic Period, North-Western Saudi Arabia
    NEOLITHIC PERIOD, NORTH-WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA Khalid Fayez AlAsmari PhD UNIVERSITY OF YORK ARCHAEOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2019 Abstract During the past four decades, the Neolithic period in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had received little academic study, until recently. This was due to the previous widely held belief that the Arabian Peninsula had no sites dating back to this time period, as well as few local researchers and the scarcity of foreign research teams. The decline in this belief over the past years, however, has led to the realisation of the importance of the Neolithic in this geographical part of the world for understanding the development and spread of early farming. As well as gaining a better understanding of the cultural attribution of the Neolithic in KSA, filling the chronological gaps in this historical era in KSA is vital, as it is not well understood compared to many neighbouring areas. To address this gap in knowledge, this thesis aims to consider whether the Northwest region of KSA was an extension of the Neolithic developments in the Levant or an independent culture, through presenting the excavation of the Neolithic site of AlUyaynah. Despite surveys and studies that have been conducted in the KSA, this study is the first of its kind, because the site "AlUyaynah", which is the focus of this dissertation, is the first excavation of a site dating back to the pre-pottery Neolithic (PPN). Therefore, the importance of this study lies in developing an understanding of Neolithic characteristics in the North-Western part of the KSA. Initially, the site was surveyed and then three trenches were excavated to study the remaining levels of occupation.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 6.2 the PLASTERED SKULLS1 Denise Schmandt-Besserat
    Chapter 6.2 THE PLASTERED SKULLS1 Denise Schmandt-Besserat Abstract: The chapter analyzes Skull 88-1, the most spectacular plastered skull from ‘Ain Ghazal, placing it in the PPNB plastered skulls tradition by comparing and contrasting it to parallel evidence from ever-larger contexts: (1) the fourteen decapitated heads at ‘Ain Ghazal, including five plain, three painted, and six plastered skulls; (2) the assemblages of plastered skulls in seven other Levantine sites including Jericho, Beisamoun, Kfar HaHoresh, Yiftahel, Tell Aswad, Tell Ramad, and one Turkish site, Kösk Höyük. Lastly, skull removal and plastering are considered in light of ancient Near Eastern iconography and early historical texts presenting decapitation as an abomination. Key Words: plastered skull, plastered face, funerary ritual, ancestor cult, necromancy While surveying the tell of ‘Ain Ghazal at the end of the 1987 season, members of the expedition spotted fragments of a human skull exposed in the profile of a bulldozer trench in a nearby highway construction site. Full excavation in 1988 revealed that the skull had a covering of plaster modeled in the form of a remarkably naturalistic face (Fig. 6.2.1) (Simmons, Boulton, and Roetzel Butler 1990). The discovery was significant because Skull 88-1 offers a striking example of a funerary practice already illustrated at ‘Ain Ghazal and in several other sites in the Levant and Turkey. The custom of reconstructing the features of the dead with plaster in the Levantine Neolithic has been the subject of several outstanding works. G.O. Rollefson (Rollefson 1990) has discussed the use of plaster at ‘Ain Ghazal; Y.
    [Show full text]
  • Acephalous Skeletons As Witnesses of Pre-Pottery Neolithic North-South Levant Connections and Disconnections Fanny Bocquentin, Ergul Kodas, Anabel Ortiz
    Headless but still eloquent! Acephalous skeletons as witnesses of Pre-Pottery Neolithic North-South Levant connections and disconnections Fanny Bocquentin, Ergul Kodas, Anabel Ortiz To cite this version: Fanny Bocquentin, Ergul Kodas, Anabel Ortiz. Headless but still eloquent! Acephalous skeletons as witnesses of Pre-Pottery Neolithic North-South Levant connections and disconnections. Paléorient, CNRS, 2016, 42 (2), pp.33-52. hal-02010457 HAL Id: hal-02010457 https://hal.parisnanterre.fr//hal-02010457 Submitted on 7 Feb 2019 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike| 4.0 International License Headless but still eloquent! Acephalous skeletons as witnesses of Pre-Pottery Neolithic North- South Levant connections and disconnections F. Bocquentin, E. Kodas and A. Ortiz Abstract: This paper discusses the practice of skull removal in the Late Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic in the Northern and Southern Levant, a feature which may serve as a basis for comparison of funerary customs between regions. Even though the topic of skull removal has been widely debated, factual data remain incomplete and funerary treatment is complex and highly variable. We have undertaken a preliminary synthesis based on 65 sites (MNI: 3001 individuals) distributed across the Southern and Northern Levant, the Upper Tigris and Central Anatolia from the Early Natufian period (13000 cal.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 and 2019 Seasons Volume 2 2020
    2018 and 2019 Volume 2 Seasons 2020 Archaeology in Jordan 2: 2018 and 2019 Seasons Pearce Paul Creasman, John D. M. Green, and China Shelton, editors © 2020 by ACOR ACOR ACOR 209 Commerce Street PO Box 2470 Alexandria, VA 22314-2909 Amman 11181 USA Jordan publications.acorjordan.org/aij Original design by Jawad Hijazi, original layout by Starling Carter Amended and typeset by Noreen Doyle Arabic site and project names compiled by Samya Kafafi Cover image: Khirbet al-Batrawy (Zarqa): General view of the northern multiple fortification line in Area B north at the end of the 14th season (2018) of excavations and restorations, seen from the northeast. © Rome “La Sapienza” University Expedition to Palestine & Jordan. Archaeology in Jordan is an open access (OA) online publication by ACOR. All the original reports published in this journal are free to access immediately from the time of publication. We do not charge fees for any reader to download articles for their own scholarly or educational use. Archaeology in Jordan operates under the Creative Commons Licence CC-BY-NC-ND. This allows for the reproduction of articles, free of charge, for non-commercial use only and with the appropriate citation information. All authors publishing with Archaeology in Jordan accept these as the terms of publication. Please contact individual authors for further information on their contributions or for images under copyright or requiring additional permissions. Contents Map of Sites and Projects vi Introduction 1 Mafraq Badia Epigraphic Survey 2 Eastern Badia
    [Show full text]
  • Living on the Edge of Empire: Edomite Households in the First Millennium B.C.E
    Living on the Edge of Empire: Edomite Households in the First Millennium B.C.E. By Stephanie Hope Brown A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Benjamin Porter, Chair Professor Christine Hastorf Professor Ronald Hendel Doctor Laurie Pearce Summer 2018 Copyright © 2018 Stephanie Hope Brown All rights reserved Abstract Living on the Edge of Empire: Edomite Households in the First Millennium B.C.E. by Stephanie Hope Brown Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Benjamin Porter, Chair This dissertation explores the relationship between ancient empires and their peripheries. Due to the uneven distribution of written sources in the ancient world, the narratives describing this relationship are almost always written from the perspective of the imperial core. By ignoring the perspectives of groups living within imperial peripheries, this dissertation argues that these narratives omit a crucial element of the core-periphery relationship. Two such core-periphery relationships existed during the first millennium B.C.E. between the Neo-Assyrian and Neo- Babylonian Empires and the polity of Edom (located in present-day southwest Jordan). As with other core-periphery relationships in the ancient world, scholars have largely relied on sources produced by the imperial cores of the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Empires in order to understand their respective relationships with Edom, ignoring the perspectives and agency of conquered groups living in Edom. This dissertation uses a tripartite approach to explore the core-periphery relationships between Edom and the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Empires.
    [Show full text]
  • View Table of Contents
    Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research Number 376 Table of Contents November 2016 Articles Nadav Naʾaman: Tel Dor and Iron Age IIA Chronology . 1–6 Max D . Price, Austin C . Hill, Yorke M . Rowan, and Morag M . Kersel: Gazelles, Liminality, and Chalcolithic Ritual: A Case Study from Marj Rabba, Israel . 7–27 Ruth Eve Jackson-Tal: Glass Vessel Use in Time of Conflict: The Evidence from the Bar Kokhba Refuge Caves in Judaea, Israel (135/136 c .e .) . 29–62 Andrew Burlingame: Line Five of the Amman Citadel Inscription: History of Interpretation and a New Proposal . 63–82 Chad Spigel: Debating Ancient Synagogue Dating: The Implications of Deteriorating Data . 83–100 Jennifer H . Ramsay and S . Thomas Parker: A Diachronic Look at the Agricultural Economy at the Red Sea Port of Aila: An Archaeobotanical Case for Hinterland Production in Arid Environments . 101–120 Serdar Yalçın: Men, Women, Eunuchs, Etc .: Visualities of Gendered Identities in Kassite Babylonian Seals (ca . 1470–1155 b .c .) . 121–150 Anat Cohen-Weinberger and Achim Lichtenberger: Late Roman Workshops of Beit Nattif Figurines: Petrography, Typology, and Style . 151–168 Erez Ben-Yosef: Back to Solomon’s Era: Results of the First Excavations at “Slaves’ Hill” (Site 34, Timna, Israel) . 169–198 Nicholas Hudson: A Hellenistic Household Ceramic Assemblage from Tell el-Timai (Thmuis), Egypt: A Contextual View . 199–244 Book Reviews Gideon Avni: The Byzantine–Islamic Transition in Palestine: An Archaeological Approach (Donald Whitcomb) . 245–246 Bernard Mulholland: The Early Byzantine Christian Church: An Archaeological Re- Assessment of Forty-Seven Early Byzantine Basilical Church Excavations Primarily in Israel and Jordan, and Their Historical and Liturgical Context (Zbigniew T .
    [Show full text]
  • Heritage Stakeholders Join Forces to Preserve Archaeological Artifacts
    Heritage stakeholders join forces to preserve archaeological artifacts jordantimes.com /news/local/heritage-stakeholders-join-forces-preserve-archaeological-artifacts 11.5.2017 AMMAN — With the aim of preserving archaeological artifacts at the Jordan Archaeological Museum located at the Amman Citadel, the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA), the Department of Antiquities (DoA) and the Gerda Henkel Foundation (GHF) joined forces in the project “Protection of Cultural Heritage in Jordan”, according to stakeholders. In January this year, the four-year project was finalised between the GPIA, the DoA and the GHF, with the later providing the funding for the project. The official launching was marked on Monday at GPIA in the presence of Minister of Culture Nabih Shuqum, representatives of these institutions, and scholars. DoA Director Munthir Jimhawi at the time noted that “dissemination of ideas” between Jordanian and international institutions is vital to overcome numerous hurdles. Jimhawi cited that Jordan has around 1,000 000 archaeological sites while archaeological surveys and excavations produced millions of finds. “Facing these problems, the DoA recently founded the initiative for the management and protection of museum inventories in Jordan, in cooperation with the GPIA and the GHF,” said Jutta Haser, the project manager at the GPIA. The current political instability in the region, which affects cultural heritage in general, “makes risk management and evacuation plans of the utmost importance”, the scholar emphasised. She underlined the three main objectives of the project: management of the museum facilities and documentation of finds, establishment of a risk-preparedness plan and training for the DoA staff. The Jordan Archaeological Museum at the Amman Citadel will serve as a pilot model, the scholar continued, stressing that the project will be conducted through digitisation and inventory of objects “as well as the installation of cameras and both internal and external alarm systems”.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeobotanical Research at Neolithic and Chalcolithic Sites in Jordan
    Early Farmers and their Environment: Archaeobotanical Research at Neolithic and Chalcolithic Sites in Jordan Submitted by John Meadows BEc BA (Hons) MSc A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Archaeology Program School of Historical and European Studies Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences La Trobe University, Victoria 3086 Australia July 2005 Table of contents List of tables v List of figures vi Abstract xi Acknowledgements xii Statement of authorship xiii Introduction 1 I.1 Thesis structure 2 I.2 Thesis outline 3 Section 1 Background Chapter 1 Chronology 23 Chapter 2 Environment 31 2.1 The modern precipitation regime and its implications for agriculture 31 2.2 Holocene climate change 32 2.2.1 Palynology 32 2.2.2 Stable isotope data 38 2.2.3 Palaeohydrology 40 2.2.4 Sedimentology 42 2.3 Summary 43 Chapter 3 Archaeology 44 3.1 Period I: 9200–8300 cal BC 44 3.1.1 Summary of evidence at ca 9000 cal BC 51 3.2 Period II: 8200–7600 cal BC 52 3.2.1 Summary of evidence at ca 8000 cal BC 58 3.3 Period III: 7500–6500 cal BC 58 3.3.1 Summary of evidence at ca 7000 cal BC 69 3.4 Period IV: 6400–5500 cal BC 70 3.4.1 Summary of evidence at ca 6000 cal BC 77 3.5 Period V: 5500–4500 cal BC 78 3.5.1 Summary of evidence at ca 5000 cal BC 82 3.6 Period VI: 4500–3700 cal BC 82 3.6.1 Summary of evidence at ca 4000 cal BC 84 i Section 2 Data Chapter 4 Fieldwork 86 4.1 Zahrat adh-Dhra’ 2 86 4.2 Wadi Fidan 1 (JHF001) 87 4.3 Tell Rakan I (WZ120) 88 4.4 ash-Shalaf 89 4.5 Pella Area XXXII 90 4.6 Teleilat
    [Show full text]